THE demand for secondary school places makes for interesting comparisons but we would caution parents against using them as evidence towards where to push their children towards in coming years.

There are many, many factors that should go into the decision-making process of parent and child when it comes to selecting a secondary school. Merely adopting a herd mentality and scurrying away from those deemed ‘unpopular’ in this table could be folly.

That stance would lead parents to steer a million miles clear of the city’s two new academies, Oxford and Oxford Spires.

The latter had less than 25 per cent of its admission number select it as first choice yet the school says it has evidence that there is going to be a real improvement on exam performances of its predecessor Oxford School. It would seem the stigma of Oxford School remains.

Yet this is a little short-sighted. Schools change and evolve over time and there is no guarantee that a school which would seem stellar based on results and reputation recently will still provide that same level of education throughout your child’s career.

Things as simple as a headteacher or a couple of key staff leaving can have significant effects. Parents who care about their children’s education should base their decision on all the information they can gather rather than on a popularity contest.